Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hi everyone!

This is Clarke here from our last day in Nashville, Tennessee!Needless to say, we have had the most incredible experience in these last three weeks.The seven of us feel like we have been treated like stars as we have met with all of the headquarters staff and other distinguished guests during our training.Many thanks to some of our Past International Presidents, Sally Wagaman, Carole Jones, Barb Zipperian and Ginger Banks, current International President, Allison Allgier, AOII Foundation Board President, Cindy Visot, Major General Luis Visot,and Phired Up representative, Colleen Coffey-Melchiorre for taking the time to share your experience and expertise with all of us.We are going to do our best to share your wisdom and guidance with all of our collegiate sisters throughout our journey!

Yesterday we had our last full day of training at Headquarters.Our feelings were bittersweet as we said goodbye to all of the staff members.We are so thankful for all that they do for the Fraternity, we would not survive without them!Last night, we spent the evening getting manicures and pedicures with our boss, Kaya.She invited us over for a fabulous home cooked meal and some of her husband, Eric’s, famous homemade ice cream!We were so lucky to spend one last business-free evening with Kaya and Eric before we hit the road. Rumor has it that come tomorrow, we will be pretty busy!

Got our nails done… YEAH WE DIDDDD!

Thankfully Troy and Kaya gave us today off so that we could all wrap up our last minute duties.Everyone has been going in a different direction trying to do laundry, finish up emails, make flight arrangements, pick up last minute clothing and travel items, and most importantly, PACK! I can’t help but laugh because even though we have all brought entirely too much, we have made no less than seven Target trips in the last few days. At this point, it looks like we will never be prepared for our morning flights but I know we will persevere!

As you can see, we are doing our best to make sure that things stay organized and fresh! Our only competition…the weight limit!

Tonight we are looking forward to having our Last Supper with Troy and Kaya.We are going to spend the evening together to enjoy our favorite meals and refocus on the bigger picture of the journey that we are about to embark on.Troy never ceases to amaze us with her incredible outlook on life and her unbelievable ability to inspire others through her words.We try to remind ourselves every day about how fortunate we are to be working for this organization that we hold so close to our hearts.This is truly the opportunity of a life time!

Tomorrow morning we begin a great adventure, and we cannot wait!Putting all of the excitement and responsibilities aside, the seven of us are leaving here the best of friends. Each one of us is unique in our own way, yet together we form a remarkable and cohesive team.I am going to miss these ladies so much!

The seven of us with all of our luggage before we leave!

1 year + 2 bags = a whole lot of laundry!

We are so incredibly excited to head to our first visits at Alpha Gamma, Xi Omicron, Gamma Delta, Alpha Lambda, Kappa Tau, Pi Alpha and Iota Sigma!We cannot wait to get out on the road and meet all of you! Roses for now!